For a Life of Freedom
by Asumee
Summary: "I'm so sorry, but I can't offer you a less dangerous solution." Freya, a young Australian girl finds herself stuck in the 18th century in a world much like the stories her father told her. With danger around every corner she doesn't know who to trust. Secrets from her past come back to haunt her, but perhaps they never were dead in the first place. AU, love triangle. Rewrite!
1. Prologue

_Life is either a great adventure or nothing._

**_~Helen Keller_**

There's nothing quite like an Australian summer, or so I think. Cloudless skies, salty westerly's and sunsets past 8pm encompass a typical day. Early mornings are a must, unless you have a killer air-conditioning system.

Unfortunately, I do not.

My mother's solution to combat the heat is fans, fans everywhere. But, what good does a fan do when the breeze drifting through the windows is stifling?

No good, that's what.

It's not like we have the money to waste on air-conditioning anyway.

That morning I woke particularly early, 4:15 am to be exact. I'd hardly slept, it was far too hot for that. No matter how much I tossed and turned I couldn't get comfortable.

However, I did dream.

It was short one and it's beginning to fade from my memory already. But still, it lingered in the corner of my mind.

I dreamt of the sea, and my father. I stood on deck of his fishing boat, the water calm and crystal as the Indian ocean usually is, but there was no sun. I could see nothing but open water for miles. Curious, I started to search for my father. Traipsing around the boat I could hear his voice, he was halfway through one of his stories.

_"__As he laid eyes upon the young girl, he knew he would give her the known world if that's what she wished for."_

I took a left, following his voice.

_"__But there were others, others who wished the girl harm." _

The story continued on, his voice getting louder and louder.

I ran my hand across the rails I used to climb as a child, it was far cleaner then I remembered.

_Oh, how I missed this boat, _I thought.

"_He crushed her enemies; destroyed anything that would do her harm. All in the name of love." _

Above me I noticed grey clouds forming.

_"__Unconditional love."_

As I turned a corner I saw him standing there, his back to me.

_"__You see Freya, even though all the pain and misery they suffered at each other's hands, love conquered all." _

Something small and wet splashed against my cheek.

_A raindrop?_

He turned to me and reached out his hand caressing my face, the rain dropping fast as the water stirred below us.

_"__Never forget how much I love you." _

And then I woke up.

This was the first time I had dreamt of him in 8 years. My father's boat capsized during a freak summer storm just after my 10th birthday. His boat washed up on the shores almost a mile away from our home but his body was never found.

It tore my mother apart. We never got any clarity, just years of wishing he'd survived. My mother eventually gave up hope, but I never did. Every year I'd take flowers and lay them where they discovered his boat, not that I told my mother. She would be furious, the area is covered in slippery, jagged rocks and the waves were harsh and unforgiving. But it was the only way I could hold onto his memory.

As I lay in bed that morning, I gazed up at my ceiling. It was complete chaos up there, in my heavens. Sketches and watercolours covered it in its entirety. Right in the centre of it all was him. He looked down at me, with those green eyes we shared. How I wished I could pull him from the parchment. But things like that only happened in his stories.

In one week I would be 18, and in two it would be the anniversary of his disappearance.

I guess the last month of Summer would be a busy one.


	2. Inauguration

_"__A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for."_

**_~William G.T. Shedd_**

It was twilight, the briefest part of the day. The sky was torn like a soul between two worlds, somewhere between day and night. A dwindling patch of light remained along the horizon, marking the spot where the sun last laid. As the sky grew ever darker the stars began to emerge, each one more beautiful then the next.

And at last, the moon.

She swept through the sky with grace and sorrow, missing her confidant by a mere moment. Resting, she leered over a sleepy beach side town. It's streets dotted with tall, flickering lampposts. It was quite, far quitter then a town should be. The only life left in the little town after dark was a girl jogging. Her breathing haggard as shadows clung to her ankles. Curious, she followed her journey past houses, through a park and past a school. She watched the girl push herself, each stride longer, prouder than the last. She shone nearly as bright as the moon herself.

_What a determined young thing, _the moon thought.

In the last leg of her journey the girl picked up her pace. Ahead lay her destination, beckoning softly. The ocean was calm with hardly a break across its surface. How beautiful a sight it was, like something out of a glorious dream.

Switching over to a beaten track the girl's footsteps became quiet. If you listened carefully however, you could hear her sneakers padding lightly against the sand. It began to infiltrate her shoes and slowly wiggled its way into her socks. She gave a breathless laugh, for her feet where sensitive to such things. Onward she went however for ahead of her lay the cliffs. Through the shrubs she pushed and weaved, avoiding each sharp branch.

And then like magic, she was there.

She breathed in the scent of the sea, filling her entire body. He fingers tingled from the cold but she hardly noticed. Every mile of her vision was engulfed by the ocean. Sighing, she collapsed. A heap of limbs tangled, drenched in sweat. She took a moment to appreciate the view, to really take it in. She missed the ocean. Her mother fretted every time she wished to go, so she stopped. She wasn't sure she even remembered how to swim. Feeling her heart rate slow down, she began to stretch. Starting with her legs she slowly made her way up her body, standing to finish her routine. It was an odd sensation, she felt weak and yet so strong and liberated. Jogging was the one time she could be truly along with her thoughts. It was pure bliss and total sanctuary.

And boy, did she need it.

Taking one last glance at her beloved sea, she was ready to bid it farewell. But then, she noticed a peculiar shadow. It sat on the edge of the horizon, small and faint. Mesmerised she walked forward, trying to make out a shape. Unaware of her surroundings, she lost her footing and slipped. Forward she fell, missing the edge of the cliff by an inch. Her hands slammed down into the dirt and shot in up into her face, clouding her vision. She coughed, desperate to expel the muck from her lungs. As the dust cleared, the shadow reappeared. This time its shape was quite clear. It was a ship in the distance. Her eyes drawn immediately to its flag. It was no oil tanker, nor a cruise ship or yacht. For a moment, she thought she'd gone completely and utterly mad.

And maybe, just maybe she was. For what she saw on that horizon was a pirate ship.

Never had her feet carried her home so fast in her life.

"Mum!" Breathlessly she called, barging through her front door. Not noticing the unusual darkness filling her front living room. "You won't believe what I saw."

As she rounded the corner,

"SURPRISE!"

The lights flicked on and up jumped her family and friends, party poppers in hand. The girl jumped back in surprise as the group whooped and cheered. Confetti fell from the heavens.

"Happy birthday, Freya." Her mum exclaimed, in the centre of it all grinned from ear to ear. She clutched a golden box to her chest.

Freya could hardly get a word out before she was bombarded with hugs and well wishes. Just as she would finish with one guest, another would appear keen to give her advice and head warnings of adulthood. The final party goer to approach her was her mother.

"Happy 18th, Darling." She handed her the golden box she had spotted early.

Excited, Freya tore off the paper and removed the lid to reveal a set of keys.

"No way." Her eyes widen. "Seriously?"

Her mother smiled modestly and nodded.

"Thank you, Mum!"

Sprinting outside she saw a very second-hand looking little forward drive. Squealing she threw herself the car, hugging it with the full force of her strength. "It's absolutely perfect. I want to take it for a test drive now!"

Standing in the front door, her mother called across the yard. "You have all the time in the world to drive that car. I think it's about time you cleaned yourself up and then re-joined the party."

Freya grabbed her collar and took a sniff. "I think you're right."


End file.
